the international facilitation of telecommunication is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which provides a global framework for the coordination of national telecommunication systems. The ITU also plays an important role in the allocation of the radio spectrum, which is relevant to wireless Internet communication. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has been the key player in the liberalisation of telecommunication markets worldwide. The most prominent professional and technical actors include the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), which develops standards such as the WiFi standard (IEEE 802.11b), and the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) which develops standards for mobile networks. With a growing demand to develop local content and keep Internet traffic closer to users (e.g. Internet Exchange Points), the question of global interconnection among a wide range of networks will be important for the future growth of the Internet. Governance of the telecommunication infrastructure is closely related to net neutrality, in particular when it comes to the prioritisation of Internet traffic. A reliable telecommunication infrastructure, in particular fibre-optic cables, facilitates wider access to the Internet in developing countries. How the telecommunication infrastructure is governed has implications for other Internet policy issues including: technical standards, the Internet of Things, cybersecurity, data protection, jurisdiction, cloud computing, and intermediary liability. Possible gaps in dealing with the telecommunication infrastructure The mechanisms analysed appear to indicate the existence of a gap in terms of the implementation of existing policies and rules. This possible gap is related to insufficient guidelines, practices and capacity building aimed at reducing ambiguity in the regulatory border zone between telecommunication and Internet public policy rules. For example, when Internet service providers (ISPs) filter traffic in order to detect spam and viruses, they could interfere with the content on the Internet. Should such a practice be considered as a telecommunication issue, or is it an Internet public policy issue? 2.2 Technical standards The Internet’s architecture is based on a set of technical standards. These standards influence – among others – the way the Internet is used (access and interaction), how digital assets are safe-guarded (intellectual property rights and data protection), and how human rights are protected (freedom of expression and online privacy). The most important technical standard is TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), which is in the basis of the Internet infrastructure. 7